In the 19th century, Alvan Graham Clark was one of the premier lens makers for telescopes. His craftsmanship was sought after and many observatories in the late 19th and early 20th centuries were built to house his refractor telescopes. In fact, smaller Alvan Clark refractors are also sought after by amateur astronomers when they are on the used market.
You have an opportunity to look through a Clark Telescope at the Dearborn Observatory, located at Northwestern (Evanston, IL). The observatory has public viewing on Fridays, weather permitting. And, if you are interested in learning about the history of Alvan Clark refractors, come visit our March fundamentals talk, presented by NAA member Ed Armstrong.
March ’26 Rick’s Picks
Transient Events That Can Give Us a Good Enough Reason to Get Outside and Do a Little Observing All month: Mercury begins the month barely hanging on in the evening sky: on March 1 it sets 57 minutes after the Sun and is less than 5° above the horizon a...
February ’26 Rick’s Picks
Transient Events That Can Give Us a Good Enough Reason to Get Outside and Do a Little Observing All month: the planets have abandoned the morning sky. In the evening, Jupiter continues to dominate the scene like a playground bully, overpowering Uranus (who...
January ’26 Rick’s Picks
Transient Events That Can Give Us a Good Enough Reason to Get Outside and Do a Little Observing All month: nearly half the planets are on vacation this month, hidden from sight in the Sun’s glare. Mercury might still be a viable (but difficult) target New...
December ’25 – Rick’s Picks
Transient Events That Can Give Us a Good Enough Reasonto Get Outside and Do a Little Observing All month: the sunrise sky becomes a less lively place this month, as Venus ends its long morning apparition and joins Mars in the solar glare as they both head...